if I ask unanimous consent to speak for 5 minutes to introduce a bill, not anything related to the farm bill, is that appropriate? The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.

I bring to the attention of the body a bill called the Protecting Adoption and Promoting Responsible Fatherhood Act of 2012. I introduced this bill on behalf of myself and Senator Inhofe, with whom I have worked with so closely on many…

first let me say thank you to the Senator from Michigan and the Senator from Kansas for conducting another very long session today on agriculture. They did an extraordinary job helping us move through this important bill. I thank them very…

I don't believe there is any opposition to this amendment, but I would like a minute to explain. Under current law, any rural development project is automatically excluded from even applying for a loan under current law. That was not the…

I call up my amendment No. 2321. The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will report. The legislative clerk read as follows: The Senator from Louisiana [Ms. Landrieu] proposes an amendment numbered 2321. The amendment is as follows: (Purpose: To…

I'm very pleased to hear that fracking is not the problem.

But I think it's a very important point that you raised.

Thank you very much. I have a short statement for the record.

I want to say I really appreciate the hearing the chairman and the ranking member have put together.

today I wish to ask my colleagues to join me in honoring Mr. Angelo Roppolo and extending my appreciation for his extraordinary accomplishments and dedication to the city of Shreveport and the State of Louisiana. Mr. Roppolo is a modest…

Absolutely. And it is not. That is why I stressed, I say to the Senator from Maryland, that in this bill, which the Senator has so ably sponsored and written, the screen to get into court is tighter than in other wage discrimination laws…

In my home State of Louisiana, wage discrimination based on gender is particularly problematic. According to the Joint Economic Committee Report, women in Louisiana do not earn 77 cents, they earn 69 cents for every $1 paid to men, which…

I ask unanimous consent for 30 more seconds. The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.

let me begin by acknowledging the leadership of the Senator from Maryland and the other Senators who have come to the floor this morning to speak on behalf of a bill whose time has come and, some might say, a bill whose time has passed. It…

as National Small Business Week is coming to a close, I come to the floor today to make a strong commitment that the Senate Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship will not lose momentum on our relentless push to help America's…

I come to the floor today during National Small Business Week to discuss a strong, widely-supported bill that I filed today with the help of Senators Lieberman, Kerry, and Harkin. Over the past several months, as Chair of the Committee on…

I was not here to hear all of my colleagues' remarks. I know there is a lot of concern about the end of the year and what might happen to try to balance our budget and give us a solid platform on which this economy could grow. But one of…

I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs' Subcommittee on Oversight of Government Management, the Federal Workforce, and the District of Columbia be authorized to meet during the session of…

We have submitted a resolution, because it is Small Business Week, on behalf of myself and Senator Snowe, Senator Pryor, Senator Lieberman, Senator Enzi, Senator Kerry, Senator Brown, Senator Cantwell, Senator Ayotte, Senator Risch…

I appreciate the eloquent statement our colleague from Iowa has put into the Record and his passionate advocacy on behalf of this special group of children in America. From his position as senior member on the Finance Committee, both…

I would like to bring to your attention some concerns I have with the Design for the Environment (DfE) program.

today, young women from Louisiana, California, and the Washington area are my special guests for Take Our Daughters and Sons to Work Day. We were joined by over 100 young women and men here at the Capitol today with their parents…

Please join me in welcoming my exceptional guests and their family members or guardians who have accompanied them to the U.S. Senate. So, again, I thank my Senate colleagues for giving me this opportunity. The PRESIDING OFFICER. The…

I thank the Chair. I rise in support of this amendment, offered on behalf of myself and my colleagues, Senators Snowe, Stabenow, and Shaheen. We are very concerned that the Postal Service has not looked carefully enough at the impact some…

I ask unanimous consent that further reading of the amendment be dispensed with. The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered. The amendment is as follows: (Purpose: To determine the impact of certain postal facility closures…